Electrical control system.



E. W. STULL.

ELECTRICAL CONTROE SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1912.

1,160,092, Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- LOW VOLTA 6! H16 VOL TA GE CDLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

E. W. STULL.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15. 1912.

1,1 60,092. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

YOLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COHWASHINGTDN. n4 cv UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMTMETT W. STULL, OF VJILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY IVIESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO ALLIS-CI-IALMERS LIANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Original application filed May 29, 1911, Serial No. 630,150. Divided and this application filed November 16, 1912. Serial No. 731,886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eanrnr'r W STULL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Villrinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain. new and useful Improvement in Electrical Control Systems, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical control systems, especially to such systems as are intended for operation from separate sources of different potential.

For reasons of economy, it has been found desirable to use higher voltages for the operation of interurban electric railways than are permissible for the ordinary city railways. The common volt-age used in cities is about 600. By using double that voltage, or 1200 volts, for interurban service, a great saving in copper or in the number of substations may be effected. Since most interurban cars are also used more or less for city service, it becomes necessary in most cases to arrange the electrical apparatus on the cars which are used on such higher voltage inter-urban systems so that they may be used on the lower voltage city systems. It is the primary object of this invention to provide such an arrangement.

In Patent No. 1,050,497, granted to appli-' cant Jan. 14, 1913, on an application, of which this application is a division, there is described a control system as applied to the operation of the motors and auxiliary apparatus on a car of an electric railway system, whereby the car can be eiiiciently op ted on sections of the line supplied at different potentials. In the preferred form of my invention in said patent, which relates to the control of the motors, the same volt" per motor on the high and low volto age sections of the line is obtained by connecting the motors in series for the high voltage inter-urban service and connecting them in parallel for the low voltage city service, the ordinary control of the motors bein effected by connecting the motors in groups and by putting the groups in series and parallel relation, while the proper connections for the high and low voltage parts of the line are obtained by putting th motors in each group in series and parallel relation. The operation of the system described further includes the use and proper connection of resistance elements in the motor ircuits and means for effecting the various changes in the operating connections, along with special safeguards for preventing th use of a set of connections unsuitable for the supplied circuit.

The present invention is more particularly related to the auxiliary apparatus used upon the cars. Certain auxiliary apparatus requires a supply of fairly constant voltage, and in order to operate this auxiliary apparatus on both the higher and lower volt age sections of the line, there are pro 'ided suit-able arrangements whereby practically the same voltage is alw ys supplied to the auxiliary apparatus. Thus various lighting circuits are connected in series and parallel according as the higher or lower voltage is supplied; and other circuits, such as the aircompressor-motor circuit, the headlight circuit, and the control circuits, have resistances connected in them for the higher voltage supplied, such resistances being short circuited when the lower voltage is supplied. The connections for the auxiliary apparatus are preferably changed by the same switch which changes the connections of the parts of the resistance sections, this switch, while in the particular system described being of the hand operated type, may be operated in any suitable manner.

The various novel features of the invention will appear from the description and drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a diagram showing the connections for one in a system embodying the invention; Fi 2 is a side view of the combined series-parallel and reversing switch in the forward high voltage position; Fig. 3 is an end view of the connectionchanging mechanism of such switch, with the switch in the same position; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines 1616 and 1717 of Fig. 2, Fig. showing the reversing mechanism for the switch; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are views corresponding to Figs. 3, 4t, and 5, but with the switch in the backward high voltage position.

The trolley wire or third rail has high and low voltage sections ant 23 respectively. The current from either section may be supplied to the car through a trolley or collector .94. Each car may be operated separately,

V switches 26 to 36 inclusi e.

or there may be a number of cars controlledv in common and operated together in a train. On each car there are'four motors, A. B, C, and D, which are arranged in two roups,

A and B. and C and D. The two motors formina' a group are connected in series for iigh voltage and in parallel for low voltage. These connecticns' are obtained bV a com bined series-parallel and reversing switch 25, which also reverses the relative direction of current throueh the field windings and armatures of such motors to obtain the. d e-" sired direction of mo ement of the car;'this' switches are onerated to control the 'roiips of mo o s prac ically in accordance with the modified Bridge control scheme shownin Patent No. 1.017.270. granted to a plicant Feb. 13'; 1912. five resistance sections'38 to 42 inclusive beinQ used. The resistance section 40 is for use in the bridee wire. and mav sometimes be omitted. The other resistance sections are fo u e in the legs of the lr-idg'e. and are each divided into two parts; The resistance sections 40 maV also be so" divided. if desired. ent resistance sections mav be connected in se ies'and paral el bV the d 'umswitch 43; which is prefe 'ablv o erated bv the same" handle a l wh ch is used for one ating the master re e s n switch 45 and the. master connection switch 46.

The comb ned se es-parallel and re 'ers- 112 swi ch 2') is of the d um t ne and as four positions. fo ward hi h olta a e F Fl fo ward l wrolta re (F Ll. b ckward igh vo ta e (B Hi and back ardlow vo e (RLl. arransfed in the'orde named. This o"der mav he chan ed as desi ed orovide'd' the two Posit ons mo t remote from each other produce b h different direct ons of mo 'ement and d ffe e t inte c nnections of the mo ors. The e is the same d stance betwee 11' the fi st and second nosition named as bet een the third and fourth. The distance between the second and third nosit ons mav be the same as th t between he othe pairs of adiacent Positions. o" different: it is shown as the same. In e the ca e the d stance between the st and t ird pos tions is the sam as that between the second and fou th. The con c s v fo the" o 'rouns of moto s. A and B. and C and l). a e nrefe ablv arran' ed n on o ite s es of the c n olle d um. as illu t ated in Fi s. 4 and 7. tho h v mav all be ar an ed on t e same s de f he d m n a m n similar o tha w ch for mp c t of d ag am is shown in Fig. 1; The direction control' The parts of the differ ling, mechanism is shown at the left hand end of Fig. 2 and in Figs. 3 and 6, and the connection controlline' mechanism at the right hand end of Fig. 2 and in Figs. 5 and,8.

The direction control is obtained bv two solenoids54: and 55, which are energized by the master reversing switch 45 in the two operating or setting positions ofthe latter. These two solenoids when energized move a bar 56, looselv mounted on the shaft 57 of the drum 2-5. to the positions shown-in Figs. 3' andf 6 re'spe'ctivelv. In such movement one 'or' the other ofthepawls 58 and 59 carried'by said-bar ene'ages a notch in a disk 60. fast-"on the shaft 57., andmoves the drum 25 through an angle equal to that between either forward position and the corresponding backward position; in other words. it motes the" drum throughan' angular distance equal totw'ice that betweentwo adjacent rows of contacts thereon; Each pawl 58 and 59 may cofi-pera-te witheither one'of two notches. the angular distance between such two notches being equal to that between two adiacent rowsof-contac'ts on the drum 25. The Dawls 58' and are so mounted that thei a reautomaticallv disengaged from the notches of the disk" 60 upon the de'e'nerg'ization of the solenoids 5i and 55 respectively. A" shrine-pressed pawl 51 maintainsthebar 5'6in either of itspositions.

The connectioncontrol is obtained bv two solenoids 62 and 63'. which are energized b? the master connect-ion switch E3 in the two onerating or setting' positions of the latter.

These twosolenoids when energizedrespeo ti'velv move abar G l. looselv mounted on the shaft 57. to the DOSItIOHShOWIl in Fig. 5 and a Dositicn an equal distance on the other such figure: In such mo e'n'ient one or the otherofthepawls 65 and 66 carried bv'saidbareii atzes' a1iotch-i1i a disk67. fast on the shaft 57'. and'move's the drum25 th ou h an angle eetialtjo that between either hiqh voltax-e or series position and the co resnond inQ low' voltage or paral el position: in otherjwo ds. it'moves the d um thIOUQlI an an ular distance equal to "that between'two a'cl iacent rows of contacts thereon. Each pawl 65 aridi66 mav cot'merate with either one o-f'twonotch'es the annular distance be tween such two notches being eoual to twice that between two adiacent ows of contacts on the (names. The pawls 65 and 66 a e so mounted that theV are automaticallv disen aged" from the notches of the di k 67 upon the de inere'ization' of the solen ids 62 and63w-es ectivelv. A spring-p essed pawl 6'7 maintains the bar 64' in either of its posi ions.

'Bv' this arrangement the direction solenoids ma'y more the drum 25 from either thehigh or low voltage forward position to the corresponding backward position or vice versa, and the connecticn solenoids may move it from either the forward or back ward high voltage position to the corresponding low voltage position or vice versa. The distance between the two notches with which each of the pawls 5S and 59 cooperates is equal to the distance through which the connection solenoids may move the drum, while that between the two notches with which each of the pawls and 66 cooperates is equal to that through which the direction solenoids may move it.

The master control switch 37, the master reversing switch 45, and the master connec tion switch e6 are preferably mounted in the same controller box. There may be two similar master controllers on a car, the seeand b ng indicated in outline in Fig. l at 68. The master control switch 37 has eight operating positions. in addition to a transition o B dge position T and an oil position O. The master reversing switch preferably has five positions, F8, F1, M, BI, the two end one being the o erating or setting positions. The two positions adjacent to the middle position make no connections but are merely indicating positions to indicate to which position the master reversing switch was last moved. By providing these two positions, the current for the direction solenoids 5-1 and 55 may be cut oif as soon as such solenoids have completed their work. if desired, suitable provision may be made for biasing the master reversing switch from the two setting to the two indicating positions. as in the manner shown in Patent No. 916,898, granted to applicant March 30. 1909. The master connecting switch 46 is made in the same general manner, but with four positions, HS, HI, LI, L i adm ts current to the connection solenoids (32 and 63 only when it is in its eX- treme or setting positions, the two intermediate positions being for indicating purposes.

Suitable operating and interlocking mechanism may be provided for the switches 25, 37, 43. 45 and 4G to insure proper operation thereof. as described in applieants Patent No 1,050,497, granted Jan. let, 1913 In the controlling circuits is a circuitbreaker 82, biased to open position. l/Vhen moved to closed position it is held there by a ma which becomes deenergized upon failure of voltage for any reason and allows the circuit-breaker to open. hen open. the circuit-breaker is held in open position by a latch S t, which is not released until the.

magnet 83 is again energized; when the sir euit-line 1 may be closed by hand. The magnet 83 is in series with the operating solenoid of the main cireuit-brea ter 85, an overload switch 86, and the swi ch 87 and its operating solenoid. Tn shunt to the switch 87 is the solenoid 88 of the doublethrow switch 80. The solenoid of the switch 87 is so wound that when the trolley 24: is on a low voltage section of the line the switch 87 remains in its lower or closed po sition, thus short-circuiting the solenoid 88, and when the trolley 2 passes to a high oltage section the switch S7 is opened by its operating solenoid, thus throwing current through the solenoid 88 to raise the switch 89 from its lower to its upper position.

Between the high and low voltage sec tions of the line there is an insulated section 90, disconnected from both the high and low voltage secticns. i /hen the car is passing from either the high or the low voltage section to the other. it passes over this sec-- tion 90, thus causing the deenergization oi" the coil 83 and the operating coil of the circuit-breaker 85. This causes the circuitbreakers 82 and to open, thus disconnecting all circuits save that including the coil 88. If any of the various controlling switches are closed at this time, their operating solenoids are immediately deenergized and they are allowed to open, thus breaking all motor circuits. The insulated section 90 is paralleled by a short section 91, which is preferably connected to the low voltage sec ion 23. The section 91 for the urpose of allowing the energization of the various circuits on the car in case he car should stop with the trolley on the section 90.

The switch in its high and low voltage. positions respecti ely also puts two or more lighting circuits 1? and 48 in series and parallel, and cuts into and out of circuit resist ance in the circuit of the air ccmpressor inctor 50, resistance 51 in the circuit of the headlight 52, and resistance in the control circuit. The lights and the air conipressor may be otherwise controlled in any suitable or desired manner. Thus it can be seen that means is provided for maintain ing the lights of the car at full brilliancy whether the car is on a 600 volt or a 120:)

volt section of the line; and likewise, for impressing a 1e terminals oi"? the com} ressor pump lllCi the operating magnets cf he control circuits.

In explaining the operation of the system. it will be assumed. for simplicity that there is but a single car. It several ca are coupled together to form a train, the operation of the apparatus would be the same on all the ears, suitable connections between the cars being made by the train wires a, b. c '7.

Assume that the car has been opera 12." on the low voltage section in order Lo: it so to operate the switch. S9 is down, and the switche and 25 are in low voltage position. the car is going forward t switch 35 its 'torvvard low voltage po constantvoltage on t tion. lVhen the trolley leaves the section 23 and engages the section 90, the various circuits are deenergized in the manner already described. When the trolley reaches the high voltage section 22, the circuit including the magnet 83 is energized, thus releasing the latch 8 1, closing the circuit breaker 85, lifting the switch 87, and throwing cur rent through the solenoid 88 to cause it to raise the switch 89. The lifting of the latch 8% permits the manual closing of thecircuitbreaker 82. The closing of this circuitbrealrer and ti e lifting of the switch 89 supplies the potential of the section 22 to the contact 92 on the switch 43.

The motor-man now turns his master reversing switch l to its middle position M, transfers its handle i l to the switch a3, and moves the latter from low voltage to high voltage position. This puts the parts of the resistance sections 38, 39, 11, and 4l2'in se ries, whereas before they were in parallel. It also connects the contacts 92 and 93, thus energizing the wire 94. This wire leads to the contact 95 on the switch 25; but since this switch is'in low voltage position, with the contact out of engagement with any of the contact segments on the drum of said switch, the circuit stops there. The wire 0i also leads, through a resistance 96, to a contact 07 on the master connection switch The handle is is now transferred to this switch to move it to high voltage setting position Fifi, and the connection is completed from the contact 97 through the train wire 7) to the solenoid 63. 'lhe solenoid 63, being thus energized, moves the drum 25 from the forward low voltage position to the forward high voltage position, the latter being the one indicated in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive.

The movement of the switch 25 to the high voltage position completes the circuit fro ii the contact to the wire 98, which is suitably connected to the motor 50 of the air compressor, the headlight 52, the lamp circuits i7 and 4-8, and the control circuit supply wire 99. The switch 43 being in high voltage position, the lamp circuits i7 and 1-8 are in series, and the resistances 49, 51, and 53 are in their associated circuits. The positions of the switches 43 and 25 must thus correspond in order that these various circuits may be supplied. The switch 46 being now returned to high voltage indicating position, the handle may be removed and placed on the reversing switch 45. The latter is then moved to forward indicating position, assuming that the car is to continue in its forward direction of movement. If moved beyond such position to forward setting position no harm is done, for with the bar 56 in the position shown in Fig. 3, the energization of the solenoid 54 produces no results; such movement merely insures the setting of the switch 25 in a forward position and prevents the operation of the master control switch 37 until the master reverser is brought back to indicating position. The car may now be started by the operation of the master control switch 37, the movement of which to its successive po-' sitions connects the motor groups, each of which consists of two series connected mo tors, in series and parallel with the resistance sections, which are connected in two groups of two series connected sections, the various relative positions of the motors and resistances being illustrated, and specifically described in Patent No. 1,050,497, granted to applicant J an. 14, 1913. In order to stop the car, the master control switch 37 is moved back to off position, changes in the connections taking place in an order substantially the reverse of those that take place in bringing the motors to the last running position,

In case of an overload at any time, the overload coil lifts its core and closes the switca 86. This short-circuits the operating solenoid of the circuit-breaker 85, cansing the opening of such circuit-breaker. This interrupts all motor circuits. Any arcingocciirs at the circuit-breaker 85; this arcing may be suppressed in any suitable manner. The overload switch 86 is held in its closed position by the holding coil 10", which remains energized until the master control switch 37, is moved back to its oil position. When this master switch is moved back to off position the holding coil 103 is de'nergized and the switch 86 allowed to drop, thus again throwing current through the operating solenoid of the circuitbreaker 85.

When the ear passes to a low voltage section 23, the switches 87 and 89 drop to their lower positions, thus connecting the contact 10% to the trolley. To complete the circuit further, the switch 43 must be turned to low voltage position, thus putting the parts of each of the resistance sections 38, 39, 4:1, and 4:2, and also the two lamp circuits and 48, in parallel instead of in series, and short-circuiting the resistances e9, 51, and The movement of the switch d3 to low voltage position renders it possible for the solenoid 62 to be energized by the movement of the master connection switch 16 to low voltage position, the circuits for the connection magnets 62 and 63 being the only parts of the control circuits which are independent of the position of the switch 25. When the solenoid 62 has moved the switch 25 to a low voltage position, the connection for the remaining controlling circuits is completed through the proper contact on the switch and the contacts and 106, thus energizing the wires 98 and 99.

The control may now be eii'ected in the same manner as that already described, the only difference being that the two parts of each of the re. .stance sections 38, 39, ll, and 42, and the two motors of each group of mrtors are now in parallel instead of in series.

For backward movement of the car, the solenoid 55 is energized, by the proper movement of the master reversing switch 415, to move the combined series-parallel and reversing drum from a forward position, such as shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, to a backward pzsition. such as shown in Figs. 6 .o S inclusive. As illustrated, both of e prsiticns are high voltage positions; it the drum is already in a low voltage position, the energization of the solenoid will more it to the other low voltage posil't sometimes happens that one or more of the motors becomes disabled. It is then desirable that the remaining motors, or some of them, be operable to bring the car to the car barn. In the arrangement shown this can he done by means of the cut-out switches 161 and 102. By throwing the switch 101 trcm its upper or full line position to the lower dotted line position, the motors i and B are cut out. the remaining motors and all the resistance sections being left in circuit. The 11 may then be operated to control the mrtors C and D. The cut-out s tches 103., 10;. are provided with additional hladcs, respectively in parallel with each other in the wire 9?), or the main supply wire for the control circuits. Thus when moth cut-out switches are open, it is impos sible to supply operating current to any of the control circuits except to the solenoids and 63. By the provision of these extra blades on the two cut-out switches, it be 0011193 impose e to ol. sin a short circuit from trolley to grcunu. or a useless waste of current even less ti an a short circuit, when at the groups of motors are cut-out.

It can readily be seen that a system of auxiliary apparatus for the car is provided which operates substantially as well on either high or low voltage sections of the line. When operating on high voltage, one group of lamps l? or 48 is connected in series to the other so that each forms a series resistance for the other which is cut-out of the particular circuit when operating at low voltage, in a similar manner as is the resistance 51 cut-out of the head-light circuit, the resistance 4:9 cut-out of the compressor circuit, or the resistance cut-out of the control circuit.

It should be understood that it is not desired to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for ohwill occur to a person resistance when the car is on the low voltagev section, and means for preventing the com pletion of the circuit of said auxiliary ap paratus when the car is on a high voltage sectirn unless said resistance is cut in.

2. In an electric railway system, a line having high and low voltage sections, a mttor operated car, a plurality of lighting circuits for the car, means for putting said circuits inseries when the car is on a high voltage section and in parallel when the car is on a low voltage section, and means for preventing the completion of said lighting circuits unless they are so connected.

3. In combination, a plurality of pieces of electrical apparatus, two sources of supply of different voltages, a circuit for each piece of el ctrical apparatus. a resistance for each circuit, and means requiring each piece of apparatus to be connected in series with its corresponding resistance when the apparatus is connected to the source of higher voltage.

4:. In combination, a plurality of pieces of electrical apparatus, two sources of supply of ditferent voltages, a circuit for each piece of electrical apparatus. a resistance for each circuit, and means requiring each resistance to be disconnected from the circuit of the corresponding piece of apparatus when the apparatus is connected to the source of lower voltage.

In combination, two sources of supply of different voltages, a plurality of pieces of electrical apparatus, a resistance for the circuit of each piece of electrical apparatus, and means for connecting each piece of electrical apparatus in series with its corresponding resistance when the car is connected to a high voltage section of the line and for disconnecting said resistances from their corresponding pieces of apparatus when the car is connected to a low voltage section of the line.

6. In a system of distribution, two sources of supply of different voltages, a plurality of lighting circuits, a resistance for each lighting circuit, means for putting the corresponding resistance in series with each lighting circuit when the lighting circuits are connected to the source of higher voltage and for disconnecting said resistance when the lighting circuits are connected to the source of lower voltage.

7. In a system of distribution, a source of high and low voltage, aplurality of lighting circuits, a resistance for each circuit, means for cutting out the resistance from each circuit when the system is connected to the source of low voltage, and means for preventing the completion of said lighting circuits when the system is connected to the system is connected to the source of low voltage unless said resistance is disconnected from said lighting circuits.

9. In a lighting system, sources of high and low voltage, a plurality of lighting circuits, and means for connecting said circuits in series to the source ofhigh 'voltage and iniparallel to the source of low'voltageand means for'preventing the completion of said circuits unless they are "so connected.

.10.. In combination,"two sources ofsupply of different voltages, two distributing circuits, a double-acting switch-adapted :in

one position to close one only of said circuits and in another position to close the 'other only of said circuits. an-electro-magnet for operating said swltch, and-a-second switch for automatically 'short-circuiting the operating electro-rmignet of the first switch, whereby one distributing circuit may 'beconnected to the source of higher voltage and the other :distributing circuit may be 'connectedtorthe source of lower voltage.

11. A distribution system adaptedsto be supplied with energy at different voltages and comprising a plurality of distribution circuits, means for connecting said distribution circuits inseries when said system is supplied at a higher voltage and in parallel when 'said system is supplied at .a lower voltage, and means for preventing the'completion of said circuits unless they are-so connected.

12, A system of electrical distribution adapted to be supplied with energy at "varying voltage and comprising a plurality of distribution clrcuits, a resistance for each circuit, and means requiring each resistance 5 to be disconnected from its corresponding "circuit when saidsystem is supplied with energy at a lower voltage and requiring each resistance to be connected 1n circuit 7 when said system is supplied with energy at a higher voltage.

13. 'A system of electrical distribution adapted to be supplied with energy at different voltages and comprisinga distribution circuit, a resistance adapted to be connected in said circuit, means for connecting said reslstance 1n and cuttlng it from said cir- "cuit,"and' means controlling the supply of energy to sald circuit for lnsuring that sa d resistance 1S in circuit when sa1d 'distribution circuit is supplied at a higher voltage and is cut out when said distribution circuit is supplied at a lower voltage.

14. A i system of electrical distribution adapted-to be supplied with energy at different voltages and comprising a plurality of distribution circuits, means for connecting said circuits in series and in parallel, and meanscontrolling the supply of energy to said circuits and insuring that the circuits are in series when the voltage of said system is of a higher value and in parallel when the voltage of'said system is of a lower value.

15. A system of electrical distribution adapted to be supplied-with energy at different voltages and comprising a plurality of circuits, and automatically acting controlling means for lnsuring the completion of one only of said circuits when said system is supplied withenergy at one voltage and the completion of the other only of said circuits when said system is supplied with energy at a dilferent voltage.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is aflixed hereto in the presence of two witnesses.

EMMETT IV. STULL.

Witnesses:

ELMER H. 'STRUBLE, A. YOUNGHANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for-five cents each, by-addressing the Commissioner *of Patents, iwashingtoml). G. 

